Stark Contrast: Insight into the Mind of a Genius
by Ebony-Rosez
Summary: Pepper and Tony had had another outrageous fight, leaving Tony very unsure of where they stood in the relationship. Everyone has their demons. Maybe this was his turn to fight... Fight for love. What if Pepper wasn't meant to be his soul-mate? When a mysterious woman enters his dreams, he has to figure out who she is and why she picked him. Tony/Pepper, Tony/OC Full Summary inside
1. The Nightmares Continue

Summary:

Pepper and Tony had had another outrageous fight, leaving Tony very unsure of where they stood in the relationship. Pepper was confident. Things weren't working out anymore. It wasn't happy… they weren't happy. Not together. The further apart they were, the better things were at times. But it was tearing Tony apart inside. Another failed relationship… and not just a romantic one. Most relationships that involved him ended in a similar fashion. Was it him? Did he need to try harder? Everyone has their demons. Some are just harder to fight than others. Maybe this was his turn to fight... Fight for love. Maybe Pepper wasn't meant to be his soulmate after all? When a mysterious woman enters his dreams, he has to figure out who she is and why she picked him.

**Post Iron Man 3, pre-Avengers: AoU** 

**A/N: First of all, I do not own Tony Stark, Iron Man, or any of the characters likenesses that I am using. They belong to Marvel, Disney, Stan Lee, and Joss Wheddon for any and all movie adaptation ideas that I have gleaned information from. P.S. It may contain tiny hints of spoilers for those who have not seen all the Marvel movies... and potentially the show Agents of SHIELD. I wouldn't find them spoilers, but just a tiny warning.**

 **Here goes my first attempt at a fanfic for Avengers/Marvel Universe. It is going to be mainly focused on the movies than the comics, so please if you are a die-hard fan of the comics-while I greatly respect that, you may or may not like the plot of my story. But it is also going to be slightly AU because eventually I am bringing in an OC. It is a PepperXTony in the beginning, but will change to TonyXOC later one. So canon and not canon couplings will be utilized. Don't worry I won't dive into that right away. Please read, review and let me know your thoughts. I appreciate the feedback.**

 **This is the first chapter, the prologue.**

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~Tony's POV~

Phantasmagoria, more commonly known as nightmares. The terrifying dreams in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow…

 _"You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you…"_

 _"I think I would just cut the wire…"_

 _"Always an out."_

/All my life they let me know,

How far I would not go.

But inside the beast still grows, waiting,

Chewing through the ropes/

 _"_ _How do we do this?"_

 _"_ _As a team. Stark… we've got Banner, just like you said."_

 _"_ _Tell him to suit up, I'm bringing the party to you…"_

I remember the fight. I remember being there. I saved you, Rogers. I helped save Manhattan, and Earth…

/Who are you to change this world?

Silly boy!

No one needs to hear your words,

Let it go/

 _"_ _I've got a nuke coming in…"_

 _"_ _Stark, you know that's a one way trip?"_

 _"_ _Sir, shall I try Ms. Potts?"_

 _"_ _Might as well…"_

 _"_ _Stark!"_

Silence…

/Carnivore! Carnivore!

Won't you come digest me?

Take away everything I am,

Bring it to an end/

The last thing I remember was someone… a woman, screaming my name, my full name. I don't recognize her voice, but it wasn't Pepper. Jarvis had lost connection just as I passed out. I shut down, Arc Reactor and all. Which means she had to have been there in Manhattan… who is this woman? Or was… who was she?

 _"_ _Anthony!"_

It's almost a shriek, like she was in pain. The same pain I was feeling. I still feel that pain.

And it echoes… on and on throughout the dream, her scream. But the dream ends as abruptly as it begins. Terror. All terror.

/Carnivore! Carnivore!

Could you come and change me?

Take away everything I am,

Everything I am/

Then there was blackness… a void. Nothing. It was cold… I can always remember the shit that was said to me before, and the shit that was said to me after, but in between… it's blank.

Darkness, barren… the wormhole disappeared once my eyes closed. That's when the nightmares began.

Is there no heaven or hell? Or did I not actually die? I don't know anymore. It could all be an illusion, like the shit S.H.I.E.L.D. pulls by Fury's orders. Or the World Council's orders, filtered by Fury. He is the ultimate puppet-master. I have tried to stop thinking about that though, since I am alive still to this day. I don't know how long I was in the dark, before I was startled back to life by Banner… the Hulk, rather. I guess it doesn't matter either way. Here I am.

/I will hide myself below

I'll be what you wanted

Kept inside I won't let go

'Till I burn beyond control/

That's essentially the reoccurring dream I have. The Battle of Manhattan… Though, there's another that has been haunting me lately. The other is more gruesome. Earth is desolate, burning, and where are we—the Avengers? Dead. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" don't make it through this nightmare. It's too dark, too fuzzy, to recognize anything. There also isn't any sound in this awful dream. No screams, no gunfire, nothing…

I have woken up screaming from these, apparently, shaking with a cold sweat, hyperventilating… I always scare the hell out of Pepper. Needless to say, these days she and I don't share a bedroom. She can't take my incessant nightmares nor my refusal to sleep in order to try and keep the nightmares at bay. A completely lose-lose situation for us both.

She doesn't understand. She doesn't care. Maybe it is fear, anger, or resentment… I don't know, it's terrifying, but to Pepper Potts I am being overly dramatic. I haven't bothered trying to convince her that I am alright. I took her advice, maybe too willingly at the time, and did the surgery after the hell that went down with the Mandarin. So no more shrapnel trying to get into my heart. I am not surviving on the Arc Reactor any longer, either.

I haven't felt like myself. Once I woke up. Sure I finally got to sleep, peacefully, while I was under anesthesia, after not sleeping for a good four to five days straight. That hardly seemed worth it at the time. I am still Tony Stark; I am still Iron Man… But something is very different about me and I can't put my finger on what that is yet.

/Who are you to change this world?

Silly boy!

No one needs to hear your words,

Let it go/

But I thought, well maybe this will help patch things up with Pep. She and I could take a little time to reconnect. The last attempt on our lives really took a toll on her. With Killian, who took her because of a creepy crush, and insane idea for experimentation to make her perfect, she wasn't even the same person coming back.

I had promised her that I could fix the Extremis program that they had experimented on her with, to ensure that like the others she did not blow up. I had fulfilled that promise, before I had gone in for surgery. Pepper was fine. Physically and mentally speaking, emotionally shaken, like myself, but other than that she is in better condition than I am.

I have noticed that we have been spending less and less time together. She is always at work. Ever since I signed over the company and made her the C.E.O., Pepper really stepped into the shoes. Before she had been doing some of that work behind the scenes through me, but now she was front and center. She had the power and she was utilizing it.

Not that this is a bad thing, but it is weird having her be a "workaholic", so to speak.

Happy Hogan was almost fully healed from the hit he took, almost losing his life chasing after one of Killian's goons. He was living in his apartment, waiting anxiously to get back to being her Head of Security back at Stark Industries.

/Carnivore! Carnivore!

Won't you come digest me?

Take away everything I am,

Bring it to an end/

And me? Well, I had recently remodeled the original Stark Tower and created a place for the Avengers to be together when we were needed. The Avengers Tower… Yup, we all practically lived here. Each had a section devoted to our specific needs and likes. Research and development along with several calming strategies for Bruce, a gym and track for Captain to work out, a shooting range for both Natasha and Clint, as well as a space for Thor. He had tried his hand in the details of his wing and I never really went there, but I know there's a lot of gold on that side.

A lot had happened since the Battle in Manhattan, and the Avengers have been called upon here and there to do Fury's bidding.

On that note, Fury… well, I don't know anything for sure, but I believe he was pronounced dead. For sure, we know he is "gone". My thoughts are that he made them think he was dead and is just lying low, pretending not to be the Director anymore.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised, reason behind why Fury is "dead". Apparently, HYDRA didn't end with the fall of the Red Skull back in Cap's day. Unfortunately their organization came alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. and infiltrated it from within. Captain America was coined a threat to national security and they tried to destroy a shit ton of people in the world that were considered a threat to HYDRA's mission. Which, as the bad guys always imply, is world peace. Or domination. Same difference, really.

/Make me fall. Make me bleed

Go ahead and change me?

Take away everything I am,

Everything I am/

Now, at any point, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" can be called upon in action to try and take down the last of HYDRA. That was basically our job right now. Maria Hill was working for me, and we had agreed to make Steve Rogers the… boss, when it came to mission work. He was the Captain, after all.

So, here I am… my house is still smashed to smithereens, thanks to Killian and his ridiculous henchmen blowing it with missiles. The Avengers Tower is my new home. I created it to be a safe haven. Sure is it in the same spot, essentially, but the threats we face today are less imminent than say the Chitauri invading the Earth. Hopefully it stays that way.

The light in my workroom flickered by my desk. I had stayed in here overnight since I didn't want to bother Pepper. I wasn't even sure if she was home yet or not. Her room was close to my own, but we had agreed that separate wings would give us a better understanding of one another's needs. Give us some space, all that jazz.

In lieu of being able to see her recently, I just came up here to tinker. I was working on things, nothing too important. Perfecting my suits, conducting some research along with Bruce Banner, in my free time. Other than that, I just… bullshitted my way through life.

I could do that, easily. I had done it before I had even become Iron Man. But everything just felt so different now. Things felt out of sync. Maybe it's just my brain fucking with me again.

/Never enough

(Who I am is not good enough)

Never enough

(Who I am)/

There was a creak behind me; from where I was sitting at my desk I wasn't facing the door, and I didn't really feel like turning around to find out who it was. Too lost in my thoughts. But my senses were alert. Must be the Avenger in me…

Jarvis always had my back. He had eyes on the building at all times.

I heard the clicking of heels getting closer. It was possibly Maria or Natasha. They sometimes came around to inform me of this or that, information they found out about S.H.I.E.L.D or coming to show me plans for a new mission.

Either way, if it was them, I really didn't care. Drop it off and let me be, please. And I would be utterly surprised if it was who I was hoping for… At this point it just seemed like wishful thinking.

The clicking didn't stop until the person was right behind me, looking over my shoulder. I could suddenly smell their perfume, wafting around me, and the shadow looming over my form was instantly recognizable.

The woman clapped her hands to turn on my lights. Which, killer when you have been sitting in the dark for hours. Hurts like a bitch. Instant headache from exposure.

I turned around in my chair to stare her in the eye. She didn't exactly seem happy that I was in my workshop at such a late hour, but she also didn't really look surprised.

/Carnivore! Carnivore!

Won't you come digest me?

Take away everything I am

Bring it to an end/

I heard her sigh heavily. Always a sure sign of her frustration with me, there was always that particular sigh.

"Pep, I thought you were working late," I muttered, acknowledging my girlfriend. Funny thing to call her "girlfriend". We didn't act like much of a couple anymore. It could be that we are simply out of the "honeymoon" phase or whatever people refer to things as, but honestly I think that we have had a sort of falling out, if you will.

Pepper Potts, everyone. I waited for her to respond. She was very good at the term 'silent as the grave'; I could feel her gaze piercing into my skull. Like she was looking through me, trying to peer into my soul or something. Pepper still didn't enjoy the fact that I was tinkering… or as she called it, wasting my time.

"I did work late, Tony," Pepper finally replied, by my side now as I looked up at her annoyed expression. "It's almost three in the morning, and of course where do I find you? Here. Not in your bed, nor even waiting up for me to get home."

She sounded exasperated.

I turned my head, trying desperately not to roll my eyes. I don't understand why everyone gets so heated about me designing and perfecting my suits. Or anything else in general. It's my thing. I am basically a mechanic, an inventor, or even an engineer. I use my skills for good, now, people. I am trying to better myself and this is how I know how to do that.

Pepper called them a distraction. And I don't totally disagree, but she doesn't understand the beast that they've become. Like the beast inside me. The suit and I are one; I _am_ Iron Man. It is part of my identity. But whatever… she can bitch about it again. I just don't know how much longer I can withstand the bitching before a vessel blows.

/Carnivore! Carnivore!

Could you come and change me?

Take away everything I am

Everything I am/

I finally glanced at the clock beside me, and Jarvis confirmed the time. He always knew what I needed before I even had to ask. " _It is indeed 2:47 A.M., sir. You have been up the majority of the night. Might I suggest you put down what it is you have been working on?_ "

I rubbed my temple, setting the glove down that I had been redesigning from the latest suit and turned to face Pepper.

Her heel had been tapping, impatiently awaiting an answer from me.

"Hey, I lost track of time. And you know I have sleeping issues, Pep, lying in bed doesn't do much for me. Just makes my head run wild with thoughts that I don't want to think about." I pushed up off the chair I had been sitting in, and she stepped closer to me.

Almost in my face. Her body language wasn't hostile, more confrontational, but it was demanding information from me.

"You never want to think about anything unless it is a distraction; never reality, Tony, and you need to come back down to Earth. Your fantasies are getting really old really fast."

I glared.

"What a great figure of speech, there, babe," I moved past her, severely annoyed now at how cold things felt. It was desolate. Just anger and resentment. Just like my dreams. "Come back down to Earth. Do you know what it was like to almost die in a wormhole portal to outer space?! No, you don't. I have tried to get over it, I tried seeing a therapist, I tried medication, I tried meditation, and I have tried distractions. Nothing works! It doesn't go away. Not that easily. Do you realize that I died that day? A part of me died."

I may have snapped, but the argument was a long time coming.

Pepper grit her teeth, her mouth pursed with her anger spewing right back at me, "Do _I_ realize that you died that day? Yes! I know, I know that you are not the same man. You haven't been the same person ever since you were held hostage and the shrapnel got into your heart; ever since this whole damn Iron Man fiasco started, it is a mess! You are a hot mess. I can't do this anymore…. I can't pick up the pieces. It's too much."

Suddenly I felt like I had been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of me. Everyone knows what a hot mess I could be at times, but hearing it from Pepper just struck a sensitive nerve.

Since she and I had gotten together, I thought maybe this was my chance to have a normal relationship with someone. Not just a one night stand, not just sex. It wasn't supposed to be going so horribly; it was a gradual slope... Things were slippery, that's for sure.

I didn't want us to be over, though. How could she be giving up so easily? No way… We can't give up. Not now.

"Pep… don't say that, I-I know that I am hard to deal with… Everybody knows that, but… please, we can work things out. Can… give me another chance? I can do it, let's… let's try date night again, and see where things lead," I was trying to plead with her. I did love Pepper, in the best way I knew how to love. She was a part of my family. I needed her. I hope that I can show her that I really do care about her.

The look she gave me in return was utterly ambiguous. When she wanted to be, Pepper was very unreadable. It was her professional, no-strings-attached façade. She was trying not to let me see how she was feeling in response to my plea.

That meant something. I can do this. Come on, Stark! Great, now I am channeling Captain America.

I cautiously placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping to get some kind of reaction.

Pepper's eyes glanced down at my hand and I saw a flash of curiosity—ha! An emotion. They were lying under the surface, dormant, but they were there. And they were ready. Her eyes followed up the line of my arm and finally met with mine, searching.

She paused for a brief moment before answering me.

"Date night… when? We haven't had time for us in months."

I gazed into her eyes; I knew how long it had been… but it wasn't that we haven't had time, we hadn't made time. It was an effort thing.

"Later today, six o'clock sharp," I offered a time, hoping that she was going to agree to it. Meanwhile thinking of a million and a half things that we could do for a date and a million and a half places that we could go. I added, "And we have had time, we just haven't utilized it to salvage this."

Pepper's frown deepened slowly, with no argument on the matter.

"You're right… where did we go wrong?" She replied, leaning against my desk. She looked exhausted.

I walked over and carefully pulled her into my embrace. I wasn't good at many things when it came to relationships, but holding her was something I like to think that I accomplished. Her head instantly found the crevice in the juncture of my shoulder and neck; I cradled it there gently.

It felt good having her close, within reach… touching me, touching her. Physical touch is nice. Been a long time since either of us have been touched apparently by the way our bodies were reacting.

"Not sure, probably from the moment we stopped being an "us" and started trying to be a "you and me" while still calling this a relationship… something along those lines. It's all I've got," I replied delicately, hoping my answer made sense. It was truthful enough.

The lines on Pepper's face, worry lines, softened at my comment. Her body seemed to relax in my arms finally. When she had entered the workshop, she had carried her body rigidly and full of tension.

"Well I guess we need to work on us and get back to where we started, huh?" she looked up at me with a gentleness I haven't seen in a very long time.

I just smiled; we were getting somewhere and it wasn't all curse words and anger.

Tonight would be the reconciliation that had been long overdue, very long overdue, for our relationship and hopefully it would lead to the patching of our bond as a couple. Maybe if we are lucky, we can try staying in bed together again. That seemed more normal than having separate rooms.

But I am probably getting ahead of myself, ahead of tonight. Things could very well fall down this slippery slope just as quickly as this… recompense happened.

One step at a time. First thing's first, I need to plan a date night for this evening and I need to do it sooner than later.

"How about we start by heading to bed and then see what the day brings?" I pushed off from leaning on my desk, Pepper still securely in my arms.

She let out a huge yawn, confirming my statement silently.

"That's what I thought," I murmured, scooping her up and made our way to her wing before she could protest.

"Make sure you lock the door, Jarvis," came her response, sleepily, which also sounded a lot like she wasn't kicking me out.

I walked over and set her gently in bed, sliding off her heels and tossing them in the direction of her closet. Simultaneously crawling in bed beside her. I don't think I have really realized how exhausted I have been lately, not until this very moment. Being next to the woman I care dearly for, watching her peaceful form lull herself to sleep. It was… it was nice.

I missed this. I missed this a lot.

I kicked off my shoes, and hunkered down under the covers with her. Molding my body to hers, I pressed a chaste kiss to her bare shoulder. Eliciting a barely audible hum from her. She was in a dreamlike state.

Wrapping my arms around her, I felt safe. Hopefully tonight the nightmares wouldn't find me. Who was I kidding? They were always there… but a man can hope right? This would be the first test to see if we could rebuild the relationship.

"Goodnight, Pep, sweet dreams…" I mumbled, finally letting the drowsiness overcome me. I generally fought the urge to sleep, but right now I wanted to be greeted by sweet darkness. Praying that the good feelings would drown out the bad memories.

There had to be a first time for everything.

Before I faded into dreamland, I heard Pepper speak.

"Goodnight, Anthony…" 

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**A/N: Also, this first chapter came to me by inspiration of music. The song "Carnivore" by Starset and lyrics (song and lyrics copyright and owned by them) are being used here. I got them from this source:** music/preview/Tome7rl35ydr2exyiszljwmt7w4?lyrics=1 &utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics 

**A little insight into the mind of Tony Stark. This is going to be a longer story, and it is just getting started. I got several ideas from Avengers: Age of Ultron, also. Let me know your thoughts! Thank you!**

 **~Ebony**


	2. The Mystery Unveiled

**Post Iron Man 3, Pre-Avengers: AoU**

 **A/N: Hi again! Of course as a disclaimer: I don't own Tony, Pepper, Jarvis or any of the characters from Avengers, Marvel, Agents of SHIELD or their likenesses. I do, however, own the mystery woman in his dreams and a few other OCs that may find themselves in the story. Who knows?**

 **Here is chapter two. Thank you for those who have looked at my story, liked, followed and/or favorited it and a big thank you for the review LilyMayRose! That means the world to me. Please read, review and let me know what you think. I appreciate it!**

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" _Anthony…"_

At first this woman sounds surprised when she says my name.

" _Anthony?"_

Then she sounds confused. Questioning. Breathy, soft, concerned…

" _Anthony!"_

And all of a sudden her voice is adamant, knowing. She knows who I am… I just wish I could put a face to her voice.

" _No let me see him!"_

Her voice was hoarse, terrified. Like she had been sobbing for my sake.

There was always a lot of yelling and incoherent, inaudible words being said in the background. Just jargon, and I could never focus on anything else but the voice of the mystery woman of my dreams.

It was an eerily beautiful voice… Probably belonged to a beautiful woman. Like a siren, or a succubus. She had the hint of an accent… from somewhere in the UK? Maybe…

She also spoke with such authority. She sounded very important, someone to be respected. It always surprised me when I awoke, hearing the clear pitch of her voice ringing in my thoughts. She had my attention. It was so vivid, for everything else being so vague.

" _Please, officer, I know him."_

" _Ma'am, you need to step back. You are not authorized to enter this area!"_

" _But—yes I am! I can help him… Just let me try!"_

" _We have medical professionals attending to Mr. Stark, this is your last warning. Leave this area."_

" _Anthony!"_

It echoed. On and on and on…

Always the same dialogue, always the same scream….

There was always commotion when I heard this female voice calling my name. Always chaos, but no picture. Everything was always dark. Everything was auditory. It always felt like I had been blinded, forced to rely on my other senses while my sight was wiped out.

That scream… again and again. The woman I couldn't place. The voice I have never heard—at least I don't think I have heard it before—yet sounds so familiar and sweet to my soul. Like I should know it… It's soothing in a strange way, music to my ears. Everyone knows how much I love music.

I was jolted awake long after the sun had risen. Drenched in cold sweat, and wide eyed. My arms were raised defensively… I have become quite accustomed to this stance, exhaustively. I stumbled, trying to orient myself. Rubbing the sleep from my bloodshot eyes. I pushed myself up, and tried to get out from the ocean of sheets piled on the bed that I was sleeping in. They felt too claustrophobic, too suffocating.

Where was I again? This didn't feel like my bed. It was much taller than mine… more bouncy. Nope not my bed. It was too soft, frilly… and colorful. Oh, hey, I was in Pepper's room. That's right, we fell asleep together after she got home!

I glanced over at Pepper, who was still sleeping soundly and snuggled to a body pillow and her comforter. Then shifted my gaze over at the clock on her nightstand, reading seven-fifteen in the morning. I had been asleep… for maybe a whole four hours total. That is a record for me. Looks like sleeping next to my girlfriend this time helped somewhat.

Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with my being beside Pepper?

I did still have a nightmare after all. It was a nightmare, though not as terrifying as many of them have been in the past. I am sure it qualified.

I was just being haunted by a woman that I cannot see. That qualifies in my book. I have been around a lot of supernatural stuff lately with being a part of the Avengers and around S.H.I.E.L.D, but haunting… ghosts, figments of my memory… whatever you want to refer to it as, this is new to me. A beautiful disaster.

Wait, Pepper called me Anthony last night as she fell asleep… didn't she? I wonder if that triggered the dream. Fucking subconscious. Something was always the trigger. Never fails.

I shifted over to the window overlooking the city, watching as Jarvis displayed one of my screens telling me the time, weather, news… without saying it aloud. Just a typed message as a good morning. He obviously picked up on the fact that I didn't want to wake her.

I don't know how long I was standing there before I realized that Pepper had woken up; I saw her reflection next to mine. Which startled me, not going to lie. But I tried not to show her that. She was watching me, with her usual look of concern. Worried eyes, wringing her hands in a circle over and over. Apparently, I made her anxious. I guess I can't really blame her… I make myself anxious, too.

"Tony?" I heard her ask, cautiously.

I turned to face her, trying to smile at her presence. It just didn't have the same effect as it used to. So many other things had happened in my life that weighed me down, that not even my girlfriend could bring me out of it.

Plus I had been lost deep in my thoughts, trying to picture a woman I had possibly never seen. Thinking of another woman… scandalous.

"Oh, morning, Pep," I replied, hoping to sound cheery. I kissed her cheek. I was also confused as to why Pepper had called me Anthony last night, and I wanted an answer to see if she had used that name knowingly. But I also didn't want to cause a fight, if that was possible.

I would have to be tactful. I can do that… hopefully.

I mean, I hate being called by my full first name. And Pepper had only ever called me "Tony" for as long as I can remember. It was only when I was introduced to her as Mr. Anthony Stark, the first time that we had met, that anyone had ever really called me that.

"Good morning," Pepper spoke, breaking my thoughts again. She was touching my face, searching for something. Something deep inside me. Probably the same thing I was searching for. "How did you sleep?"

The circles under my eyes were undoubtedly pretty dark because in her eyes I could see the deep sense of worry behind them. Those worried orbs, always seemed like they could well up with tears at any second regarding me and my mental health.

"I slept alright… more than I usually do," I moved slightly from her touch. Hoping to be subtle about it. Our touch last night felt fine, but right now something felt off. I couldn't put my finger on it.

Ever since she called me Anthony, I got this hostile feeling.

She raised a brow at me.

"Have you slept much recently?"

"No… besides a power nap or two, no," I didn't really want to talk about my ability to not sleep. It wasn't a surprise to anyone, least of all her. So I decided to change the subject. "Question, do you remember calling me Anthony last night?"

I watched her face fade into a paler white, and I got the confirmation I was looking for. She shifted uncomfortably. I couldn't fathom why though.

It was several minutes before she responded. We just stood there in silence, looking at each other while I waited for her to collect her thoughts. I could tell that she wanted to answer, but she didn't seem sure of what it was she wanted to say.

At least that is what I gathered from her body language. I wasn't always the best at reading her obviously, so I wouldn't quote me on accuracy.

"Yes," She looked up at me at first looking sheepish but that expression turned defensive in an instant. "Who else has been calling you Anthony?"

It was my turn to switch to the defensive. I didn't expect a question like that in return. I should have, I guess. Did she think I was cheating on her?

I mean I know my reputation isn't great, but since we started being exclusive I was a one woman man. With all flirting aside.

"What? No one," I retorted with a serious expression, "You lost me."

"You talk in your sleep, Tony, and someone or something calls you Anthony, screams your name… It could only belong to a woman," her voice trailed off, hoping that I would comply and give her the information she was looking for.

So that was what she had been searching for in me. She wanted a confirmation of sorts, just like I wanted one from her. This felt like we were going down a dangerously slippery road together. Somewhere the trust had been torn. Not entirely broken, and mendable, but it certainly wasn't a hundred percent. Peachy.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. I hated talking through my nightmares. I hate dreaming. Why do people dream? They are so unnecessary…

"I don't know, some woman, I can't see her face. It's just a dream, Pepper."

She didn't look satisfied with that answer, but I really didn't care at the moment. I was irritated that she had the audacity to believe that I was cheating on her. That was the only thing that made sense as to why she would be so concerned.

I made my way towards the door.

"Just a dream? What do you mean—" I cut her off before she got through the question. We are not going to argue over something as ridiculous as a woman I don't know. Nope.

This was not on the agenda today. I had more important things to fuss over… Like planning a date for the two of us. Although, with this hostility in the air, I don't even know if a date can patch us up.

"I can't see her the dream is pitch black, that's all. I'm going to go shower..." I muttered, leaving the room, shutting the door behind me and heading straight for my wing of the tower. I just wanted to be alone to try and collect my thoughts.

As I walked into my room, I decided to turn to my constant companion—Jarvis.

"J, lock the doors. Do not let anyone in. Not Pepper, no one. I want to be alone and that's final." I made my way through my wing. "And start the shower, my usual temperature. The hot one. I need a good soak… let the steam and hot water release the tension of my muscles. I have a headache."

With that I entered my bathroom and peeled off the clothes I had fallen asleep in, still slightly damp from sweat. My body ached and felt clammy. I really needed out of this tower, I needed away from these people for a bit. We had all been cooped up here for a tad too long.

If Pepper and I are going to salvage our screwy relationship, I need to find some answers.

" _Whatever you say, sir. It is done."_

He did everything I requested of him, and today without any reprimand. I was incredibly grateful for that this morning.

I stepped into the large shower I had designed myself. Like many of the other windows in the tower, I had designed them so that nothing could see inside but anyone inside would have the ability to see the outside world.

One of the walls to my shower was designed this way. I liked to get a sense of the world outside my walls, while still being comfortably alone and tucked away.

The waterfall shower-head poured out water, as I moved under it. Jarvis always got the temperature just right. Not quite scalding, not enough to burn the skin, but almost that hot. I needed it to massage out the knots in my body. Everything was tense. From my jaw to my toes.

I glanced down at the people of Manhattan bustling about, buzzing along their lives. I had never really been a people watcher. Most of the time the only person I paid much attention to was myself.

Recently that hadn't been the case. I was always watching others, trying to figure out if a random woman would stand out and make sense of the voice in my dreams. I may be slightly voyeuristic…

It was probably just a silly notion, but I got the feeling that I did know this woman, from some part of my life. I just don't know what part that was, nor did I recall the woman which left me lacking memories. Hard to remember someone you cannot see.

I sighed, leaning against the glass. It was a cool contrast to the hot water flowing over my body.

This part of Manhattan was home to a lot of businesses, and the Avengers Tower stood tall over many of the shops nearby. We got a lot of gift baskets and edible arrangement-type assortments trying to win our loyalty and business. Basically my money and connections.

Many of course had been utterly unsuccessful, save for a few boutiques that Maria, Pepper and Natasha liked to shop at, and a salon where most of us got our grooming done, and the ladies enjoyed the manicures and pedicures as often as they could.

That salon also did massages… I wonder if that would help.

I glanced down again. Maybe that was what I needed, some relaxation, and a massage. Quality time to get back into a good state of mind.

"Hey, J, see if the salon across the street can fit me in for a massage. I think some time away from the tower will be good for me," I spoke to my invisible right-hand man. He ran my life as much as Pepper had in the past.

" _I am making the call now. Would you like to speak with them yourself or shall I book the appointment for you?"_ he asked as I heard an echoing ring in the background.

"Book the appointment. I don't need the women there going gaga because I am in the shower."

" _Of course; I am on it."_

With that I finished cleaning myself, and stepped out of the shower wrapping a towel around my waist as I listened to Jarvis expertly book me a full body massage with the salon a half an hour out.

I checked the clock. By now the sun was bright and cheery, and it was a quarter 'til nine in the morning. I would probably be one of their first customers.

That also meant I wouldn't be bothered by as many people. And when I say people, I mean women. Fans of mine, fans of the rest of the Avengers. People bombarded me constantly. Don't get me wrong, most of the time I enjoy the attention. I love being the center of attention, the lime light hog… but right now, I just want to blend in for a moment and truly be able to relax.

I dressed in sweats, one of the copious amounts of band shirts I own, and a hoodie, expertly rocking some designer shades and sneakers. I never really just blend in, but hey, this was as close as it was going to get. I just want to be comfortable.

" _I will let the salon know that you are on your way,"_ Jarvis informed me as I grabbed my wallet, keys and phone.

"Thanks, buddy. I am going to walk across the street since it is so close. I've got you booted up on my phone, so keep me posted on how Pepper is. She should still be in her room. If she asks, I am planning for tonight. She will know what that means… and if she doesn't tell her to call me."

" _Noted, I shall inform Ms. Potts promptly. Enjoy your massage."_

I nodded hearing him, as I walked out of my space and jabbed my thumb into the 'down' button to the elevator.

The rest of the tower was fairly quiet today. Not much was going on for anyone to need the Avengers, and we didn't really have anywhere else to be, so it was just a lot of… this. Us, here, all the time.

I was so glad that I wouldn't be hanging around here for a few.

The elevator ride was short and sweet. I only ran into Bruce, and we gabbed a little about a project we were working on together to help him with the Hulk for our missions. Luckily that was short lived and he was once again off to the R&D sector to do more research, and I was happily off to the salon for a full-body massage.

It was going to be glorious.

The weather outside was crisp and clear, a little breezy and cool but it felt amazing. The tower could be stuffy when all anyone ever does is stay cooped up there. Being outdoors was like a breath of fresh air.

I walked the short distance across the main street from Avengers tower to the little salon across the way.

It wasn't a big chain, but was more upscale than a mom-and-pop shop. Felt nice, clean, I can see why the girls like it so much.

The receptionist looked extra cheery when I arrived and signed in.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark, we are happy to see you. I will tell Glenda that you arrived, she will be your masseuse for today. Feel free to take a seat and she will be right up to bring you back," the petite woman piped with a squeaky voice. "Would you like water or coffee?"

Well, at least it wasn't her in my dreams.

"Thank you," I glanced at her name badge, "Lydia. Coffee actually sounds great. Cream and sweetener. Dark roast if you have it."

"Our pleasure! I will bring that to you, sir."

She got all giggly when I said her name and bounced off to apparently tell this Glenda lady that I was here and grab my drink. I shook my head and took a seat in the lobby area.

There were already several women back in the salon getting one of the various services, and some waiting their turn. Who knew this place got booked that fast?

I pulled out my phone to busy myself while waiting, taking a subtle glance around the establishment. Some of the women enjoying their spa treatments appeared to be high-class housewives or businesswomen. So this was a classy place huh? There was a guy or two back there. They looked like lawyers or other various high-end, possibly rich bachelors.

None of them looked very interesting to me, but they all did look to be having a good time, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. Which was comforting.

Then in the back corner of the salon, a particular woman piqued my interest. I could only hear the subtle Irish accent as she spoke to the person waiting on her. It was _the_ voice…

I took off my sunglasses, aware that I was probably staring. The woman didn't really look familiar to me, but she was gorgeous. She appeared to be having a spa day, wrapped up in a fluffy robe, getting a pedicure currently, and talking amiably with two other women who looked very similar… possibly sisters.

Surely this couldn't be the mysterious woman of my dreams? I must be going crazy.

Before I could get up to try and speak to the woman, a friendly middle-aged lady with plum hair was in my face greeting me. She had a mug of hot coffee in her hand for me, just as I had requested it. Must be Glenda.

"Hello, Mr. Stark."

I gave a polite smile and shook her hand. "Call me Tony, please, it's less… overt."

Shaking my hand, she seemed to understand.

"Anything to make you comfortable, Mr… I mean, Tony," she sounded slightly awkward as she spoke it, but complied nonetheless, and still smiled the customer service plastered grin, "Please follow me and we will get you situated for your massage."

"Sounds like a plan," I stood, following Glenda towards the back rooms of the salon where they had the massage tables. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, I definitely needed the caffeine pick-me-up.

I stole a peek back at the corner where I thought I found the woman in my dreams, relieved that she hadn't seen me staring earlier. In fact she didn't seem to be paying much attention to anyone but her intimate little spa party.

I just wanted a better look at her, but that would probably have to wait… unfortunately, because I was being ushered to a locker room to change and prepare for the massage. I needed to talk to her before she left her spa day though. Somehow I gotta make that happen.

Complying I changed, keeping only my undergarments on and tied the robe provided around the rest of my body. Then I slipped on some flip flops also provided and locked my shit up, keeping my phone on my person.

Glenda was waiting outside patiently. She smiled as I returned, but her expression hinted that she had something to tell me.

"Comfortable?" she asked, guiding me towards the back room. I was hoping it was more secluded, and not one with multiple stations for massages.

I nodded, prompting further conversation.

"Quite, and looking forward to relaxation."

"Wonderful, before we get started, I do have something to ask of you," Glenda started, looking at me. Her tone was soft, a little hesitant. They knew I was a big client, and I don't think she wanted to upset me with whatever the situation was.

"Shoot, I'm all ears."

Glenda took a breath, "Well since your call this morning, and as you can probably see, this morning we are very busy and booked solid for the day. We truly appreciate that you sought our salon for your business and we want to give you the best experience that we can. In saying this, we are a little short on space and were wondering how you may feel about sharing the room with another person."

Now I was hesitant. So much for privacy.

I blew out through my nose, not entirely thrilled with the idea. She could see it through my expression I am sure.

"I mean, we are trying to work around that option… but finding that extra space for a client of your caliber is just taking us a little more time. We don't want to make you wait, and we want you to be satisfied with your experience," she quickly added.

"No, it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it to be busy. I understand that it was me that wanted an appointment last minute… Um, sure, I will share. But if the other person gets weird around me, I will opt to wait until there is a space for only myself. Sound like something we can do?"

Her face looked relieved with my answer, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! Thank you," she led me into the room, housing two massage tables. "This one will be yours and another masseuse will be leading their client in for the other table. The other person is a regular client of ours, they shouldn't bother you. Please let me know if they do, however. I want you to be comfortable. That is the entire point of this experience."

I nodded hanging the robe up as I laid face down on the massage table and a towel was lain on my lower half.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you will be the first to know if I am uncomfortable with the other person."

Glenda gave me a knowing nod, setting my coffee on a little table in front of me so that I could still access it during my massage. I heard her bustling about behind me, getting her station prepared.

I rested my face in the pillows surrounding the head rest. Maybe if I didn't see the other person, it would make this less weird.

"Is there a curtain or anything you can close between the tables?"

"Yes, I can close off our section. Would you like me to do that?" Glenda inquired.

I propped myself up for a moment to answer her.

"Not yet, I just want to make sure that there is an alternative to the wide open space here. Thank you."

She smiled and went about her work again.

"Of course. I am almost finished warming up the essential oils and then we can talk about the massage before I begin."

"Good plan, take your time."

I was partially hoping that this would help with my sleeping issues as well. This outing was serving multiple purposes today. Clearing my thoughts, helping me relax, and potentially answering some questions.

The door behind me opened and closed, and two sets of feet were shuffling in the room. I heard a muffled conversation between Glenda and the other masseuse, and then heard rustling on the other massage table.

Part of me wanted to look up and see who the other client was, but the other part didn't want to let them know that it was me.

So instead I just waited, quietly. Only looking up ahead of me to take a drink from my coffee.

It got quiet. Glenda must have left the room temporarily, and the other masseuse was addressing her client. Now known to be a woman… I took a moment to eavesdrop into their conversation.

"I am sorry Ms. Morgan, all of our other rooms are booked solid," the masseuse dropped her voice lowly, almost to a whisper, "This client is much newer than you, but he is important and we want to accommodate you both within reason. Is it going to be alright that we continue?"

The slight pause was killing me. I don't know why but I was interested in what this person had to say.

"It shan't be a problem, Jeanie, he deserves the relaxation time. We won't be bothered." Came the soft Irish accent again.

The hair on my arms raised at the interaction. It was that woman… _her_. Ms. Morgan? Well, that was more of the information that I needed. I grabbed my phone from the table in front of me and began typing a message to Jarvis to do some recon while I was away.

Jeanie sounded satisfied with that answer, and after another muffled conversation with Ms. Morgan, she left to join Glenda in whatever they were doing. Leaving the two of us alone in the room until they returned.

I wanted to talk to this woman, but I wasn't sure where to start and I sure as hell didn't want to come off creepy. So instead I just continued checking my phone. Jarvis had responded that he would be looking any and all information up that he could find on Ms. Morgan… Not creepy, right? Ha…

Suddenly, the woman's voice caught my attention. Pulling me immediately from my thoughts and I turned slightly to look at her.

"You must be Mr. Stark. I am sorry for all of the commotion… it isn't usually so hectic here in the mornings," she greeted me with a smile that made my knees weak. Good thing I was laying down already.

I sat up, pulling the towel around to perch on my lap. Giving her my full attention. She was a beautiful soul.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Morgan, was it? Don't apologize, it isn't your fault in any way," I replied, offering my hand. "And please… call me Tony. Mr. Stark is so formal."

Her gaze dropped to my hand and she delicately shook it. Her eyes were a stormy bluish-gray, and her hair was a pale, honey blonde. Compared to me her skin was creamy white, but boy was she warm. That or I was cold… Her skin just radiated warmth and softness. It felt nice.

"Sarah, you may call me Sarah," she responded. Of anyone here, she seemed the most calm around me. Unfazed by my status, and completely comfortable being in my presence.

It was actually very relieving. Most people were infatuated or intimidated.

"Beautiful name," I couldn't help the smile growing on my face.

"Thank you, Anthony…"

She was sitting on the table opposite of me, gazing around in a peaceful way. But there it was… Anthony. It rolled off of her tongue like she had called me that for years. As if we were close. And finally, hearing it… putting the voice together with this woman, being called Anthony didn't bother me for some reason.

This time it just intrigued me.

"I am sorry, have we met before?"

Sarah looked at me with a surprised gaze, and her face flushed a light pink. Rosy and deep in her cheeks. I didn't think she could get prettier, but I have been wrong before.

I believe she realized what she had said when her eyes came to meet mine, and I watched her take a deep breath.

"It's a very long… complicated tale."

"I have nothing but time."

She stood and made her way over to me, and for the moment I was truly grateful for the two masseuses being elsewhere.

"I… I'm not sure where to start." She paused briefly, and I simply watched her and listened intently. "Have you ever heard… of the tales of the Goddesses of the Morrigan?"

Her question threw me off, but I shook my head. It definitely didn't sound like something I was familiar with.

"Do the Goddesses of the Morrigan have something to do with me?" I inquired, watching her closely.

Unlike the interactions with Pepper, who was always worried or uncomfortable or upset around me; this woman seemed very sure of herself and confident in my presence. I don't think Pepper felt that same way.

Sarah glanced upward for a moment, like she was thinking.

"Yes and no… like I said, the story is complex. And now may not be the best time for me to explain. Glenda and Jeanie are on their way back."

"They can wait… You called me Anthony. I sort of need to know who you are, and why…" I stopped myself, almost rambling about having dreams about this woman.

Sarah's blush deepened as the words left my mouth.

"I… I did call you Anthony, didn't I?" her tone was astounded, "You heard me? But how…"

Now she was the one to cut herself short.

Did she know of the scenario that has been haunting me? Whoa… now things were getting even weirder.

"Sarah," I started to ask her something but she touched my cheek which shut me right up.

"It's actually Serafina… Still Sera, but not the generic spelling… Serafina, one of the three Goddesses of the Morrigan. And to answer one of your questions, yes. I was there. The darkness, the screams… your nightmares, I was there. The Battle of Manhattan… I can explain everything and much more."

Before I could respond, Glenda and Jeanie entered the room amiably speaking and here I was in shock.

They just stared at the two of us, realizing that we had been interacting.

"Is everything alright?" Glenda asked while glancing from Sera to me.

"Perfect…" I responded, my mind racing a million miles an hour.

Serafina? Who the fuck was this woman?

She had returned to the table opposite of me, watching me. None of this made sense, but I was sure as hell going to find out.

Massage first.

"Let's get started shall we?"

The masseuses didn't need any further prompting and this gave me time to try and process what Serafina had just told me.

Today was going to be longer than I expected.

* * *

 ****A/N: And there we have it! The woman of Tony Stark's dreams… Serafina. I have had this character a long time. Her story will be explained very soon and it will tie in with some other characters that I adore as much as Tony Stark/Iron Man himself. Also, this story will tie in somewhat with Agents of SHIELD and I hope you all know who I am talking about specifically; as well as a particular Captain, and a father figure…**

 **I have weaved a complex web that I am hoping my readers will enjoy.**

 **P.S. I am adding a link in my profile to provide a visual element for those of you who would like to see my character while reading the story. It's just a picture I found for her likeness but that's all. Hope it helps!**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **-Ebony**


	3. The Past Revealed

Chapter 3 **:**

**Post Iron Man 3, pre-Avengers: AoU**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tony, Pepper, Jarvis or any of the characters from Avengers, Marvel, Agents of SHIELD or their likenesses. They belong to Marvel, Stan Lee, Joss Wheddon for any and all movie adaption and television show adaption ideas that I have gleaned information from. P.S. It still may have some spoilers here and there from the movies or show, for anyone who cares. Small warning. I do, however, own the mystery woman in his dreams, Serafina, and a few other OCs that may find themselves in the story. Who knows?**

 **This is going to be mainly focused on the movies than the comics, so please if you are a die-hard fan of the comics-while I greatly respect that, you may or may not like the plot of my story. But it is also going to be slightly AU because eventually I am bringing in an OC. It is a Pepper X Tony in the beginning, but will change to Tony X OC later on. So canon and not canon couplings will be utilized. Don't worry I won't dive into that right away.**

 **A/N: I'm back with another chapter! SO sorry for the delay. Here is chapter three. Now that the mystery woman has been revealed, this chapter will explain her importance in the story and her relationship with Tony. Thank you for those who have looked at my story, liked, followed and/or favorited it and a big thank you for the review LilyMayRose! That means the world to me. Please read, review and let me know what you think. I appreciate it!**

* * *

Glenda and the other masseuse Jeanie were both incredible at their jobs and ensuring the satisfaction of their clientele. I have never had a real massage in my life, not like this one. Sure, I have had nights with women in the past that decided they could give me a massage, but this was on an entirely different level.

Glenda had been fairly talkative during the hour long full body massage. Talking to me, talking to her coworker, and the other client sharing the room with me.

The other client, Sarah Morgan… or Serafina Morrigan? Serafina, Goddess of the Morrigan… one of them she mentioned. So the other two girls who had accompanied her here must be her sisters, and the other Goddesses? That is the only conclusion I can come up with in this moment.

My mind was still reeling with the small amount of information that Sera had given me after calling me Anthony on accident.

 _"It's actually Serafina… Still Sera, but not the generic spelling… Serafina, one of the three Goddesses of the Morrigan. And to answer one of your questions, yes. I was there. The darkness, the screams… your nightmares, I was there. The Battle of Manhattan… I can explain everything and much more."_

I recalled her statement. Her confession.

I was more anxious to get this appointment over with now. Relaxed and felt much better on the physical side, thanks to the skills of the masseuse I was paired with today.

After all, it wasn't every day that someone could get into my head that easily and answer some questions that I didn't even voice. And as much as that weirded me out, it was relieving. Someone finally understood the turmoil going on inside my brain. I didn't have to try and explain the nightmares, the horror, the fear. For some reason, this woman knew something. She seemed to know more than I did, and that was good news for me.

"There, all finished, Mr… ah, sorry Tony," Glenda brought me out of my thoughts, she had struggled the entire hour long block with calling me Tony. Mr. Stark slipped out every now and then. The cat was kind of out of the bag by this time, so it didn't matter anymore.

I sat up with a genuine smile, grateful for her ministrations. I felt a lot better, not so tense and heavy. She was great at her job and the staff had been incredibly accommodating with me, which had worked out in my favor anyway.

"Thank you, I appreciate everything, Glenda," I reached over to my wallet that I kept near my phone and pulled out money to tip both ladies, for their help. "Here, for you and Ms. Jeanie. You made this experience worthwhile."

I saw Serafina smile out of the corner of my eye, and noted her pulling the towel around herself as she sat up as well.

It was oddly vulnerable in here.

Both employees gave me a surprised expression at the generosity, and I shook my head when they wanted to refuse the amount.

"High caliber client. I am not tipping you a low amount, for one I don't keep small bills on myself often. And two, you deserve it for going out of your way to ensure that Ms. Morgan and myself felt comfortable and relaxed during a busy day and the accommodations you worked out. Please, take it."

Glenda gingerly took one of the hundreds, and Jeanie did the same with a kind smile.

"It was our pleasure working with you both. Would you like us to lead you back to the changing area?" Glenda responded, glancing my direction.

I shook my head.

"Thank you, but I am sure you have another client to serve. I can find my way."

I heard the soft Irish accent pipe into the conversation, realizing Serafina was speaking.

"I will show him; in case he gets lost in the establishment. Thank you Jeanie. I will book my appointment out with Lydia on my way out."

Jeanie bowed respectfully to Sera, before leaving with her coworker. I think they got the hint that the two of us wanted some privacy again.

I hopped off the changing table, grabbing the robes for us both and handed one to her before turning around so that she had the privacy to place it around herself. As much as I would rather look. She was a gorgeous woman.

I slid the fuzzy fabric around myself and tied the belt, before speaking, glancing at my phone to see if Jarvis had come up with any information on her. I decided to make an addendum to my previous message to him, now asking him to narrow his search to the Goddesses of the Morrigan and focus on one named Serafina alongside any information he found on Sarah Morgan, her alias.

It was silent behind me and I glanced over my shoulder, seeing her staring at me. I felt a little heat rising to my cheeks.

She just smiled gently at me.

"Let's change and go from there," she motioned towards the door and I nodded mutely, following her out to the changing rooms.

We both took a few minutes to change back into our clothes and grabbed our personal items before meeting back up in the lounge. I was waiting for her to join me, trying to guess any information that Serafina might tell me, but truly not drawing any formidable conclusions.

I looked up as she walked out, in a fashion-forward beautiful dress and heels, hair and make-up done to the nines, looking amazing as ever. It took my breath away for a moment. I just couldn't fathom my own reaction to this woman. I wanted to know more about her.

She walked over to me, smiling, "Sorry I took so long, I had to tell my sisters that I was leaving our spa day for something important. Shall we go?"

"You're leaving your spa day? I can't take you from that," as much as I wanted to drag her away from this public place to get the answers I wanted, needed to hear, I couldn't do that to someone who paid for an entire spa treatment.

"It's been taken care of, don't worry." Serafina responded, not even waiting for me to retort as she walked out the front doors.

I raised a brow, but followed her full of curiosity.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the fresh air outside. The breeze felt wonderful as we walked the busy streets of Manhattan this morning.

I noticed that we were heading towards an expensive condominium complex just a few blocks from the Avengers Tower and the salon that we had just frequented. She was taking me to her place?

Her voice caught my attention again, seeming to answer my silent conversation with myself. It was a little unnerving.

"I live up here. Is that alright with you? I thought it would be the most secure and private place for us to talk." Sera said, giving the doorman a friendly hello as she led the way.

"This is fine," I replied, nodding to the man and followed her to the elevator that we took up to her floor. "So…"

"Wait, I promise I will explain everything the best that I can when we arrive." She stopped me from asking another question. It was as though she was in my head already, picking apart my mind.

We took the rest of the elevator ride in silence, finally stopping on the top floor and she let me into her condo, which looked like a penthouse space and locked the door behind us.

I took a moment to gaze around the room, trying to get a better understanding and sense of this woman from her home.

I was very curious.

She slipped off her shoes at the front door and set down her purse immediately, beckoning me to follow her to her living area.

I followed quietly, sitting on the couch across from her, and setting my phone on the table in front of me. I didn't want any distractions right now.

Serafina took a deep breath after a few minutes, and met my gaze. Her blue eyes were bright, and held a lot of emotion.

"What I am about to tell you may freak you out," she began.

"Not any more than those nightmares. It is just relieving having solid evidence in front of me, finally, and that I am not crazy."

A gentle smile replaced the worried frown that was attempting to settle itself on her features. The smile suited her best.

"I hope to relieve you of your worries and fear. But as I said, what I am going to tell you, may freak you out a bit," she glanced out her window at the sky before turning back to me. "You asked if we have met before, and… yes, we have. Long ago, very long ago… You were just a boy back then."

I don't know what I had been expecting, but that was certainly not it. I didn't have a ton of memories from my childhood, with my parents or other individuals. I tried to focus on remembering this woman. She appeared to me around at least Peppers age, which meant she was younger than me… possibly. And she said "you were a boy back then" not "we were kids back then".

"Could… you elaborate?" was all I could manage, still very confused.

She took a deep breath. "You have met gods, well demi-gods, before have you not?"

I nodded, remembering that she called herself a goddess.

"In much of the same way, I am like them. As I said, I am one of the goddesses of the Morrigan. Any information you have looked up about the Morrigan, well let me tell you about it from the source."

As her words sunk in, I realized that she had mentioned things that I had not said out loud, and suddenly her presence became very real. I sat back in awe, knowing she must have some otherworldly gifts. Not that it was easy for me to believe in them, still, but easier than it used to be in the past.

"Please do."

She gave the hint of a smile as she stood and walked over to stare out of the window overlooking the cityscape.

"Long ago, eons before your people… humanity, was given life on this planet, there was a young being, not of any known origin, simply celestial; all that was understood was that this being had a gender—womanhood. This woman, her name was Alryhen. She was a being from a still unexplored portion of the universe. As many years passed, she became known as the Giver of Life and Death, but was not a goddess. Unlike the gods and goddesses of Asgard, whom were born with a trait and a gift for which they would be protecting and using throughout their life, Alryhen had been a part of the universe long before the Asgardians. She did not know where her power came from, but that she had the ability to create life and take life away from any being she so desired. Her background is lost, as she is now lost. But when this woman was a part of this universe, she met a young man of Asgard, a man who protected that realm. His name is Heimdall, and that man lives on Asgard to this day," Serafina turned slightly toward me, noting my reaction.

It was really hard to fathom what she was saying. I am such a science nut, the intergalactic stuff sort of passes right over my brain and out. But I sat forward, wanting to know more.

When she told me these… tales, I didn't feel like she was lying to me, or making up crazy stories. Unlike when Thor and Loki had talked in the past. Granted, now, I believed them both especially after fighting an alien race to save Earth.

I nodded for her to continue, but stayed silent.

She took my prompt gratefully as a confirmation, and rested against the coolness of the glass window behind her. I noted steam fogging up the windowpane, but shook my head of the thought. It was probably just some coincidence.

"Alryhen and Heimdall are my parents, though my sisters and I have little memory of being with either of them. We are part Asgardian, and therefore goddesses, but also part of a celestial race that possibly no longer exists in this world. Our mother died when we were very young, and our father raised us for a brief time after that before we were banished from Asgard by the king… by Odin, Thor's father." Her brow furrowed in an upset state, but she looked up at me, directly in the eye. "I do not have vivid memories of the banishment, nor do I remember my early years. But my elder sister took care of me and our younger sister. We were banished to Midgard, here on your planet. We grew up in a woodland that is now Ireland. Hence my accent, I am sure you hear it when I speak.

"When we were sent away from Asgard, we were banished to Earth when it was in its prime of humanity… for your world it would have been quite early. The world was young. We spent several millennia searching for our purpose and the answers to who we were and why we had been sent here. Our memories had been almost wiped, but our powers and abilities had remained, and as the years passed, the spell forcing our memories away faded."

Serafina knelt in front of me, her eyes were filled with a passion that was nearly unsettling because of how strong it came across. She was a strong woman, goddess…

She gently took my hand, continuing to speak, but softly.

"We grew up as most humans would, and decided that living among humans to blend in would be the easiest route. Humans were friendly enough. So growing up we portrayed young maidens of many eras. We moved from Ireland, where we found many superstitious people… the people that truly believe in the Morrigan. In the tales you might find about the Morrigan, she is a goddess of course, with several qualities. But her portrayal is an old hag. She symbolizes fertility, death, and war, in essence. And in Ireland, some fear her wrath terribly," Serafina dropped her steady gaze to her lap, trembling slightly. "You see, the truth is, my sisters and I together form the Morrigan. We were each born with the powers, and together we are a mighty force. We are the harmony and devastation, one with the other. Like our mother, we hold life and death in our hands. But like our father, we serve and protect both the living and the dead. Instead of simply creating it or taking it away out of pure desire or fascination. Our mother had been out of control and I believe that it led to her demise, and when my sisters and I were very young we did not have a grasp on how to control our power. That made even the gods of Asgard fear us. We are not something they know well. Odin did not trust us. And so he sent us to be the guardians of Earth. Midgard instead is our domain. My mother gave life to this planet, she did not give humanity life, that was something else entirely, but the Earth was desolate before she nurtured it."

"Wait, so your mom was like Mother Earth… essentially? And you and your sisters have taken after her, so you are too in a way?" I asked, astounded by the information this woman had thrown my way. I wonder if Thor knows of the goddesses of the Morrigan. If it was his father that banished them, they must have lived on Asgard.

Boy, do I sound crazy?

Serafina raised her stormy eyes, giving a small nod.

"In a way, yes. We are made up of the elements, by our powers," she explained, stepping away from me again.

I felt like she was afraid to touch me.

"My eldest sister, Saphirra, takes after the earth the most. Her abilities would be "mother earth"-like. She can create any type of living flora, manipulate the wind, and the fauna respond well to her also. She is the goddess of the Morrigan in charge of justice and fertility of this realm. My younger sister, Ciarra, has the ability to create and manipulate ice, water, and is the keeper of the dead. She is the one who, like our mother, can take away life from any living being if she so chose. Her position as goddess of the Morrigan is to lead the dead to the afterlife, to protect their journey. It can be a bit dark, but she is in charge of peace and hope. Instead, she is the most feared because of those who fear death," her blue eyes met my dark ones before she told me about herself.

I held my breath for a moment. Was I in awe of being in the presence of a being higher than myself? Yes, yet again I was, but instead it was a pleasant awe and not a crippling fear.

She stood up straight, with the faintest ghost of a smile on her features.

"As I said, I am Serafina. My role as a goddess of the Morrigan is life, love, but I am also the defender… war. My abilities are firstly… the element of fire. An all-consuming fire. I can also give life to things, like people… But I have not done that before. It is unfortunately not an ability that I have been very good at over the years. We have watched many a loved one pass on…" she averted her gaze as tears formed in her eyes, "Aside from the abilities the three of us have on our own, we can collectively fly… my two sisters sprout wings. We all have a tattoo-looking marking on our backs that when we command we may use it to help us transport. I can fly without the wings, so in my case I have never had to call upon my markings."

Holy shit… well, that explained the steam. So her body temperature must be much higher than the average humans. My mind began racing a mile a minute trying to comprehend the plethora of information Serafina gave me about herself, her family, and a lot about the past in regards to how Thor's world and mine were intertwined.

I understood now that they were strongly coincided. Even though the realms were as different as how us humans understood our solar system, they really were connected. There was life outside the Earth, out in space. And space consisted of many differing realms that held otherworldly beings just like Serafina, and dangerous ones like the alien Chitauri.

As I blew breath slowly out of my nose, I leaned forward resting my elbows on my knees with my head in my hands, watching Serafina.

"You don't happen to read minds also, do you?" I asked, recalling that she had answered some unspoken things from me.

A light blush appeared on her cheeks, but she nodded and pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I am sorry. That is another… gift, more of a curse, that I have. Though it is hard to control at times. Ciarra has the ability to know a person's fate, she gets these visions sometimes and it is usually regarding that person's death. Saphirra has the ability to know the location of all living beings. She's better than the world census. If she can sense it, we can find it." She responded, sheepishly.

Talking about herself didn't seem natural, I bet they hadn't been able to tell their true identities to many over the years. Wait, so this made her much older than me. Well, I was way off on my calculations.

"You were, but I am flattered anyway,"

"Don't do that."

"Sorry, I am not meaning to be inside your mind. It is very… intellectual in there and I do not know what a lot of the things you think mean."

I gave her a wry smile.

"Science is way logical. Straightforward, mathematical. Something that not everyone can understand. It is its own language. I speak it fluently," I replied, smiling again as I watched her nod in response.

But now it was time to see why she was telling me all this, and why she was in my nightmares, why did she know me so well when I just met her?

Her expression became serious again, focused.

"I am sorry, I meant to make that point to explain. I will try and relate everything that I know to help you understand," she took an unsteady breath. "To answer your question, again, I know you are wondering how I knew you as a child… That is because my sisters and I had become involved in the war during Hydra's primary uproar. Back when Captain Rogers became Captain America… We met him before he had undergone the transformation from Steven Rogers to the superhuman Captain America. He will always be that scrawny boy from Brooklyn to us. That being said, we also met another man in charge of that project…"

My eyes went wide as I began to understand.

"Your father. We met Howard Stark during that era as well… and it was actually my sister that froze Steve when he took the ship down with the cube. Unfortunately, neither Saphirra nor I knew that Ciarra did that to save his life, and save humanity. She had a vision, and it was something incredibly necessary…" she sat down, wringing her hands as she spoke, looking more upset than even I felt at the memories of my father. "We had become very good friends with your father, and when he met your mother and married her, we stuck around in America instead. Then, they told me that they were pregnant with a son… We were beyond devastated when your parents were targeted, in the car crash that took their lives, and along with Steve's slumber, made me feel inadequate. I couldn't save them. I tried… many times, and ultimately failed."

"It was in your parent's will that I become your godmother alongside Obadiah Stane… As Sarah Morgan. Which is what your parents knew me as; my sisters were known as Phoebe and Cassie to them. Since your parents had you in boarding school, I was afraid that it was dangerous for me to raise you. So I left the majority of the guiding to be led by Stane. He seemed like a decent mentor, and friend to your family… at the time," she gazed knowingly at my chest, even though the arc reactor was no longer present, she knew what had happened. The reason I was Iron Man.

It was hard to fathom this beautiful woman had been in my life, so close, yet so far away for many years. As she continued relaying my past, I started to recall seeing her face in my memories. A face that had once been blurry, but always familiar. Now it was crystal clear. She was the reason I was alive. My gut instinct told me that.

She heaved a sigh, nodding, "You aren't wrong, but I am also the reason you were put in danger in the first place. I am sorry. I should have caught on to Stane faster. I never realized that he was after the money, and the power. It had never occurred to me that he wanted your position, your brain, after you had reached maturity and were given your father's company as well as title of CEO. But after you went missing, I got a terrible pain inside myself that led me to you. I found you, unconscious from exhaustion from flagging down the U.S. military that was on the look for you, after you escaped the Ten Rings. I healed you the best that I could. Healing properties is another ability I possess, that I have worked to control. And ever since then, I have not been far away. Trying to keep you alive."

Tears began to fall from her eyes, and her voice held a pain that shook me to the core. The pain in her voice was one that I had been carrying for as long as I could remember. My past had caught up to me.

"I promised your parents that if anything happened to them, that I would care for you. I can't tell you why you were always the one I was drawn to protecting. Even as a child, there was just something very special about you. And during the battle of Manhattan, when you used yourself—your armor—to force the missile into the wormhole… when you left our realm, and life left your body… that was the worst experience of my life. I have lost many people, but losing you, I lost something in myself as well."

I found myself cradling her in my arms, stroking her soft blonde hair, trying to comfort her, while I let her words sink in. I was special to her? It sounded more than a motherly thing.

She was someone who had been caring for me, unconditionally, throughout my life when I wasn't aware, and was here now. Unashamed, unafraid, of letting me know that I was important.

For the first time, in many, many years, I started to cry, too, and I felt her petite but warm hands wrap around my body in response to my embrace.

"I am so, so sorry Anthony. I did not mean to make you upset," Serafina whispered into my shirt.

I reached up to wipe my face, trying to dry the waterworks.

"Nah, you're fine. I just… I needed to hear all that. Little did I know, right? These past few years have taken a toll. I have made some enemies, some friends, but even the people that I used to be closest to have drifted away. I have just felt alone. I don't know why I trust you, I trust everything that you said, and I trust that you mean me no harm. Which is weird because I don't trust anyone. But in my soul, I just know."

She smiled gently, through wet lashes and tear-stained cheeks; it was a beautifully peaceful smile.

"I have always cared about you, Anthony, or… should I call you Tony?"

I chuckled a little, grateful for the clarity. "If you can manage it, but you calling me Anthony doesn't bother me a bit. For whatever reason. It isn't condescending or rude, or belittling. It's pure. Kinda like you."

"Purity is part of my general make up," she replied, wryly, finally pushing back from hugging me, to fix her hair, as we continued to talk. "Did you come to the spa today to find answers?"

"No, actually, I went to the spa because I felt like I needed to release some tension, the answers just sorta showed up." I said, looking over at the clock hanging on her wall.

It was now close to noon. The sun was high in the sky, and I knew that Pepper would be wondering where I had run off to after the argument we had this morning.

With a small frown, I turned back to Serafina. Regardless of the fact that I wanted to get to know this woman better, spend some quality time with her, today was not the right time to continue doing so.

"I apologize," I said, after a moment of silence between us, "I have a prior commitment to take care of today. May I get your number, maybe? I would like to see you again…"

And that wasn't a lie. I want to see her again, badly. But I have to figure out what is happening between Pepper and I before I do anything rash or reckless. I don't want to hurt Pepper or get hurt in the process. All I know is that this new woman is special. She called me special, and I feel the same way about her now knowing what I learned about her.

She was the key to unlocking my past, and understanding my father in a way that I never have been able to remember him. Several people in the present have come to me with information I never knew about my father, and it has allowed me to let go of some of the angst and anger I felt towards him and my mother for my childhood. Serafina knowing them personally, being friends with them and being in my life as I grew up, added another level that I just couldn't let slip out of my sight.

I needed to know her like they had in the past. My parents had a knack for meeting good people, like Steve, and now like Serafina. It had to be fate.

Serafina took my phone out of my hand without a word and I watched her add not only her phone number but the address to this place, and hand it back to me.

"I don't want to keep you from your prior engagement. I am sure your girlfriend will want to see you and know that you are safe." She gave me a pure smile, understanding. "I am happy to meet the grown up Tony Stark, thank you for listening to this old girl blabber about her crazy life. I hope that I cleared up some of your worries and fears. And hopefully those nightmares die down. You deserve the rest." She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed my temple.

I grasped my phone in my hand, watching her, before making my way to her front door.

"Thank you for having a spa day today… Sera, if you hadn't been there, this opportunity would have been sorely missed. I will contact you soon."

With that I left, forcing myself to not look back her way. I needed to get back to the Avengers Tower and speak with Pepper immediately. I should actually probably call the entire group together to talk to them about the Morrigan sisters. I have a feeling that they were going to be our allies, sooner or later.

There was no time to lose. Maybe this would bring the group closer, maybe it would tear it apart. I have no idea how any of them will react to the new information coming from me, but it was worth a shot.

I hurried to the tower, and it wasn't long before the group greeted me, along with an upset Pepper.

Apparently they had been trying to get a hold of me after I left with a 'huff' according to Pepper. Bruce hadn't seemed phased, since I had talked to him before my appointment anyway. He had said that I was fine. Must have caused a bigger uproar with Pep.

I lifted my hand, causing the raucous of the group talking at once to halt and my girlfriend to tap her foot impatiently.

"Two things, I went to get a massage, and second I met a goddess. A literal goddess."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Great, picking up women again? I see how it is."

"Have care Lady Potts," Thor interjected, stepping forward from the group. Of the Avengers, he and I didn't always interact so him being down here was interesting in and of itself. "Let Mr. Stark elaborate. You say you met a goddess, was she of Asgard?"

Natasha was the second woman to roll her eyes, and I noticed that same look from Maria.

"Seriously? Well, thanks for the faith Point Break," I mentioned to Thor, who gave me a look that said continue before I smash you with my hammer puny man, and well I was going to comply that's for damn sure. "Have you ever heard of the Goddesses of the Morrigan? They're… well she said that their father… starts with an H… Hermder… Harmdell… it's not Hermes… Fuck. Ringing a bell? Help me out."

The look on Thor's face changed drastically, oh he knew something about what I was talking about. His brows furrowed curiously, "Is it Heimdall you speak of? I don't remember him having children… but I have heard of the Morrigan, I believe. It was when I was a boy, and I remember only a tale. You said that you met them? They are supposed to be evil, darkness, the legend goes."

I raised a brow.

"That myth come from your father?"

"I do not know. Why do you ask?" He inquired.

The group was looking from me to Thor and back as we spoke.

"Because Odin was the one who banished the Morrigan. I met one of the girls today, and I can assure you she is anything but evil."

"I will judge that for myself. If my father banished them, he must have had a reason and although I cannot ask this of him myself, I can give the Morrigan a chance by my judgment."

"Fine, I will bring her here."

"No you won't!" Pepper shouted.

It took us all aback hearing her shrill voice, but everyone else stepped back to give us room. Especially Bruce.

"Pepper, you don't understand and I am not asking you to understand right now. I need to bring this person here. I'll even have her bring her sisters since they are all a part of the Morrigan. Thor needs to meet them, and, actually, so does Cap."

Steve's eyebrows shot up in surprise at my bringing him into the conversation.

"Wait, why me? Stark, I don't want to be pulled into your drama. No offense, Ms. Potts."

I ignored his comment and looked him straight in the eye, "Do you remember a Sarah, Phoebe, and Cassie Morgan?"

While the others watched along with me, I noticed the recognition in his eyes and confusion encompass his expression.

"How do you know those names? You weren't even alive back then."

"I met Sarah, long story short, she's one of the Morrigan. She said that she knows you and she knew my dad. I need to bring her here so you can confirm that, and I need Thor to confirm that he knows the Morrigan part."

Steve sighed, resigning. If he had been as close to the girls as Sera had spoken of, then I knew he would be the one to help me get Pepper to agree. Or leave. At this point, that was seeming like an option as well.

Pepper looked just as confused as some of the others regarding this being someone that Steve knew. But it gave Sera some clout. If Steve knew her, they would trust her more than if it was just some woman that I met. This was a friend of the Captain's.

She acquiesced begrudgingly, "Alright, bring her and her sisters here. But I swear Tony if this is something elaborate... whatever concoction of yours, I will leave."

"Pepper, it's not a plot. It isn't a sham. This is real. I met this woman, the woman that has been in my nightmares. The woman calling me Anthony. It wasn't a coincidence. This woman knew my family, she knows Steve. They were friends. She is someone on our side, and if something comes along that threatens the world again, something tells me that we are going to need them with us."

She snapped her mouth shut, still seeming tense about the idea, but nodding.

"Fine then."

I didn't wait for anymore if's, and's, or but's coming from anyone and hit dial on my phone with her number. I shoved the phone up to my ear, walking away from the group for a moment. I could hear them beginning to talk to one another from behind me the further that I got away but I decided not to focus on what they were saying.

The phone rang a couple times before the newly familiar voice answered after just a few moments.

"Anthony?" Serafina's voice sounded very concerned.

"Hey, Sera," I replied trying to keep my voice even, "Sorry I know this was a lot quicker than even I intended to call you. Would you and your sisters be willing to come and see Steve again, and meet Thor? Long story. If not, no pressure, no rush…"

She was quiet for a moment. I couldn't tell why, or if she was like reading my mind, but after a few moments she finally replied.

"We will be there. Are we coming to the tower that is across the street from the salon?"

"Yes, that's the place. The Avengers Tower. Thank you for agreeing."

"It will be good to see old friends, and get some answers of our own. See you in a few." She said calmly, before hanging up.

I looked at the screen after she disconnected the call, before walking back in the room with the others. They looked up at me expectantly.

"They'll be here soon."

 ****A/N: And there you go! Serafina's background, well some of it. I gained inspiration on her character from the Celtic mythology of the Goddess Morrigan. Saphirra and Ciarra are her sisters and will be more important to the story as we keep going, but they will be introduced more fully in chapters in the near future. Still the woman of Tony Stark's dreams!**

 **I have had this character a long time. Her story will continue to be explained throughout this story, and it will tie in with some other characters that I adore as much as Tony Stark/Iron Man himself. Also, this story will tie in somewhat with Agents of SHIELD and I hope you all know who I am talking about specifically; as well as a particular Captain, and a father figure…**

 **I have weaved a complex web that I am hoping my readers will enjoy.**

 **P.S. Here is a depiction of Serafina where I took inspiration of her look. Obviously I don't own anything about this picture or have any affiliation with the actress.**

 **Serafina:**

.

 **Saphirra:**

 **Ciarra:**

 **Until the next chapter,**

 **-Ebony**


	4. Old Friends Reunited

Chapter 4 **:**

**Post Iron Man 3, pre-Avengers: AoU**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tony, Pepper, Jarvis or any of the characters from Avengers, Marvel, Agents of SHIELD or their likenesses. They belong to Disney, Marvel, Stan Lee, Joss Wheddon for any and all movie adaption and television show adaption ideas that I have gleaned information from. P.S. It still may have some spoilers here and there from the movies or show, for anyone who cares. Small warning. I do, however, own the mystery woman in his dreams, Serafina, and a few other OCs that may find themselves in the story. Who knows?**

 **This is going to be mainly focused on the movies than the comics, so please if you are a die-hard fan of the comics-while I greatly respect that, you may or may not like the plot of my story. But it is also going to be slightly AU because my original character has been brought into the story now. This will be a short lived Pepper X Tony story, and will change to Tony X OC later on; however, I do want that to happen gradually so I can fulfill more plot before any romance happens.**

 **A/N: HI, back again! Here is chapter four. To recap, the mystery woman in the nightmares of Tony Stark has been revealed as Serafina- one of the Goddesses of the Morrigan and original character. This chapter will further her side of the story and offer connections that she and her sisters have to Tony, his family and Captain America… as well as their connection with S.H.I.E.L.D. Thank you for those who have looked at my story, liked, followed and/or favorited it and a big thank you for the review LilyMayRose and SolitaryNyght! That means the world to me. Please read, review and let me know what you think. I appreciate it!**

* * *

The group and I sat in the lounge/lobby area in the front reception hall when you first walk into the Avengers Tower. I knew it wouldn't take long for Serafina and her siblings to get here, especially if they were able to fly… not that they would risk that sort of transportation in broad daylight if they could help it, I'm sure…

I glanced over at Pepper, who was looking at her phone with mild irritation. Yup—so much for a date night. Honestly, depending on how this meeting, or interaction, went with the Goddesses might be the straw that breaks the camels' back if you know what I mean. Pep and I were walking a very fine line.

I took a deep breath as I internally counted to see how long I could bear the silence. I was never really good with quiet, awkward pauses between a group like this.

But amazingly enough it wasn't me who broke the silence.

Lucky for me, Clint Barton—Hawkeye—being the sarcastic, witty bastard that he is, also couldn't take the quiet and one barb from him got us all interacting as we awaited the newcomers.

"So, you ran into some chick, goddess even, and now we are trying to see if Thor can give her a thumbs up on her credibility as a god—excuse me demi-god, and if Captain America knows her as… what? A friend? An ally?" Clint said, his words echoing in the vast foyer in of the lobby.

Steve gave him an exasperated look, but Natasha seemed perfectly in agreement with his inquiry.

"If what Tony said about her is true, then she is someone that I knew long before I became Captain America. However, I know nothing about her being a goddess… they were there for the experiment, I just don't remember why. As far as I knew, they were human. But I could be wrong."

"I will judge if they are an ally for us," Thor piped in, adding to Steve's commentary.

I rolled my eyes at his seriousness. Judge away, Lord Hammertime….

Before I could interject a witty comment of my own, aloud, the doors of the Avenger's Tower opened and three blonde women walked in to be further greeted by all of us. Like Serafina, who was leading since she was the only one that I was familiar with, and her sisters were also both blonde and blue-eyed. They all dressed well and seemed to pass off as perfectly "human" ladies. I have to say that if I had never come across Serafina and heard what she had to say about me and my life, I never would have guessed their story. Not in a million years.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Maria's eyes widen. Which only piqued my curiosity.

"Sarah? What are you doing here… Tony—he said your name, but I thought it had to be a coincidence… I thought it just couldn't be you three… but here you are," She mumbled.

Steve was standing, looking like a ghost from his past had returned… and punched him in the face, repeatedly. Clearly, and three of them to boot. His expression was just as shocked, but even more so when Maria spoke up. Which meant that these girls knew S.H.I.E.L.D.

Serafina's gaze expertly skimmed the room; she briefly glanced over me, giving me a faint smile before moving on to acknowledge the various familiarities in her presence.

But it was one of the women behind her who spoke up first.

The taller of the three, I could imagine was the eldest of the sisters, whose hair was the most golden and eyes were the deepest blue.

"Please, let us explain before the accusations come forth." Her accent was definitely thicker than her sisters', more velvety…

They were definitely beautiful in their own right, goddesses or celestial beings regardless…

Serafina nodded to what her sister said, and thankfully the rest of my group didn't protest again.

"Thank you," this time it was Sera. "My sister is right, if you give us the opportunity to speak we will do our best to possibly answer your questions before they arise. I know many of you have very important questions that must be acknowledged and… I will get to them," She glanced back at the last sister.

I will admit, unlike the older two, the youngest sister seemed to have the least amount of confidence about her air. She came off timid and quiet, although still regal and just as beautiful as the other two. Her hair was the lightest blonde and eyes were an icy blue, fair just like her skin.

"Then talk already!"

It took everyone a moment to register whose voice demanded so, but in an instant I knew that my annoyance with that relationship was truly palpable. Pepper…

However, Serafina looked back at Pepper calmly and nodded in compliance.

"I'm sorry that you feel that we are wasting your time, Ms. Potts. I will do my best to rectify the situation," Serafina responded—as she had done to me earlier—by answering an unspoken question from Pepper, who's eyes widened almost horrifically.

The youngest Morrigan sibling finally spoke after her elder sister's last comment.

"Humans are so quick to judge the unknown. Well, if we had judged your kind so conspicuously, there would be much less of them. Now, if you'll do so kindly to refrain from entering your opinions so decidedly and actually allow my sister the decency to elaborate, that would be agreeable."

Oh, I like the little one. She spoke her mind and was clearly a no-bullshit kind of gal. I could get used to hanging out with more individuals like them.

Pepper's expression was fuming mad, but shocked. She had been put in her place and the Morrigan's intimidation factor was impressive. They gave off an authority that just made you want to sit and listen to what they had to say. Wise beyond their years, even though in their case their years might actually be accurate and have a great deal of clout.

Steve didn't really seem phased by their behavior. He seemed quite at peace with them being present, even though he had seemed surprised to find out that they were living. Regardless of how, these were his friends and he appeared happy to see them. Having someone from 'his era' was probably comforting.

Serafina lifted her hand to her younger sister as if silently telling her that she was going to take it from there.

"I understand that you are all… skeptical," she began and gestured to themselves and then looked back at Maria, before addressing others more intimately, "I promise, before we leave, we will remove the veil and cloud of doubt and surprise. I will explain everything to the best of my ability… starting with Steven."

He looked up at his name. Again with the full name, these girls must not use nicknames often. Except she goes by Sera? Maybe it is a respect thing when speaking to guys… hm. Or maybe just respect for certain people?

Her eyes glanced at me and held my gaze for a moment, a smile lingering on her lips for a moment. That was enough confirmation for me.

"So, you weren't present at the first experiment by coincidence, huh?" Steve asked, deciding to begin the conversation that was obviously long overdue.

Serafina shook her head.

"No, we had heard about humans attempting to create a superhuman of sorts and of course throughout the millenniums, this had been tried and failed a multitude of times. Whenever we caught wind of the experimentations we were present. In case the experiment went poorly and we would then be needed to protect and ensure the safety of the world's population," she glanced at her sisters, possibly deciding that they might all need to give input.

Steve was quiet as he listened, "Cassie? You were only a child then… or so you said."

The youngest sister's cheeks changed hues from a ghostly pale to a vivid pink. Clearly not one for attention, but she spoke up quietly. Her accent was soft like Sera's, though her pitch was higher, almost childish. It fit her petite form.

"Ciarra, actually… And I was only a child back then, a child in goddess form. Comparatively… my sisters were mature in their growth, and I was still in my adolescence. Plus, I passed for a kid, so… that was what I was known as, and to keep me safe, my sister's kept me close while they worked." Her words came out in a murmur and she couldn't seem to look Steve in the eye as she spoke.

The eldest sister added on to Ciarra's response.

"As otherworldly beings, our growth rate is vastly different from that of human life, so she really was the equivalent of a teenage girl when we met back then. We weren't trying to deceive you, but honestly, telling you all of this at the time—you would have thought us mad."

Steve gave an ironic smile, "True, I am guessing Phoebe isn't your real name either?"

"No, Saphirra is my name. But if you called me Phoebe I am sure I would still answer you, Captain."

"Call me Steve, or Steven, since your sister has always called me that."

Serafina just smiled gently. I got a pang in my stomach when she smiled at him. Okay… nope, I can't be jealous. They're old friends, you just met this woman… you have a girlfriend, Stark. Her eyes glanced at me again and the sudden realization that she could hear my thoughts smacked me in the face.

If I could ever mute my thoughts, god, I wanted to right then.

I gave her a sheepish smile, the only thing I could muster while forcing back the blush fighting to surface. Internally I am sure she was laughing at me – I mean I must sound ridiculous… with my inner monologue.

"Alright, Steve," Saphirra replied to the captain respectfully before turning to her sister, "I know you said that we would explain before giving them the chance to ask their questions, but I believe that we should allow them to speak and we answer their questions before filling in the blanks."

Serafina nodded her head, gazing back towards our group. Right back at Steve.

"We will leave it to you then. Ask us anything," she offered. The youngest shuffled closer to her.

It seems like they are used to being interrogated by their body language and tone, which was a nervous energy compared to earlier when they gave off such confidence in themselves.

I glanced over to Steve, collecting his thoughts no doubt. I can only imagine the plethora of questions he had for them, knowing them so personally from his past. I mean I know I had, and still have, a ton of questions for them on my own, but of course that will wait until they get some things out on the table here and now.

It felt like an eternity before Steve formed a coherent question to ask them.

I gazed between him and the three girls several times as the words formed outwardly to match his thoughts.

"While I can think of countless questions with some of the new information I learned about you earlier… I just want to hear from you, what happened after I went down and ended up in the ice. I have time to have my other questions answered." His gaze was soft, admiring, and relieved.

Steve wouldn't be lying and I have no doubt in my mind that these women are who they claim to be. It was Sera who spoke up again, though she wouldn't look anyone in the eye for a while.

Instead she was staring intensely upward, as if she was looking up to the sky or maybe even beyond that.

"After you went down, so bravely… and recklessly hoping to contain and destroy the Tesseract by yourself… We all thought that you had died, of course. Phirra, Ciarra and I went out to search for you before anyone else could. Peggy had gone back with the rest of the team that survived to report back, devastated by the loss of our Captain and super-soldier," tears filled her stormy eyes.

I have to admit I did not like having to see such a painful expression on her face as she relived the memory.

Steve was frowning – knowing too well that he had caused the three of them pain, also including his old-time girlfriend Peggy Carter.

"It was a hard search. Ciarra had gone down into the depths of the ocean to try and search further for you. Long, ruthless hours we tried desperately to locate you. Because we could sense your spirit still. Your soul called to us, letting us know that you were alive – somehow.

And yet, when our youngest sister resurfaced from the depths of that cold ocean she was empty-handed. She said she couldn't get to you, even though she thought she found your general location."

"I thought Steve was found much later, by Stark. Howard Stark and they pulled him out of the ice." Maria interjected.

Ciarra turned her attention away from her sister's tale and nodded, "It was Howard Stark that had the technology to find and bring Steve out from the frozen slumber… I had given them the coordinates for where to look when the plane had crash-landed." She looked nervously at her sisters who gave her an encouraging nod to continue, "I had found the plane, and it was quickly filling with water which was going to crush Steve from the pressure of it all and he would have suffocated a very painful death. Regardless of his superhuman abilities and healing. It couldn't have possibly kept up with the injuries he had already sustained. So, instead of trying to get to him… because under the water I just wasn't strong enough and neither of my sisters would have been either, I froze everything. Including Steve. To preserve him, in hopes that we would have the opportunity to save his life later on. And my notion was right. Howard worked tirelessly trying to make something that would be able to take us down far enough to get to the crash site and extricate Steve's body. I didn't know if we would be able to thaw him and keep him alive, but all the way up until we had him and went about the process to thaw him from the ice – his soul told us that he lived. And we were going to ensure that he hadn't gone down simply in a blaze of glory."

As the information sunk in, the group could really only stare in awe. From what they were saying, their abilities were even greater than Serafina had described them to be previously. Not to mention, they had some pretty pure souls in order to handle the hard stuff they had gone through.

"I.. I don't know what to say, thank you just doesn't seem to suffice," came Steve's response. At first I thought he was angry from his expression, but I believe he was simply going through the harsh memory along with them. It was intense to watch their reactions, I could hardly try and imagine how terrible it had felt in the past.

Saphirra gave him a tender expression. Her eyes were full of compassion.

"You were one of the first humans to be so kind to us, Steve. You owe us nothing. We saved your life because we value you and there is nothing more we expect from you, except maybe to continue living and being a part of our lives now would be… it would be special."

Ciarra nodded emphatically. "You are family to us; You are the only family, besides each other, that we have had on this planet!"

Serafina joined in, with a serious nod of her own.

"We stayed with Peggy, in the aftermath, and that is how we ended up a part of S.H.I.E.L.D in the making. Our motivation was bringing our family, our brother, home safely. We spent a lot of time with both Peggy and Howard in order to do that. Between the research and recon that we were part of, we learned a lot about Midgard and about the sector of not only the American government, but also the World Council, that have rights and knowledge about otherworldly threats. It wasn't until Nicholas J. Fury became the Director that we were found out. Our secret of being the Goddesses of the Morrigan had been decoded… he was one of the only persons to know. Peggy and Howard were unaware. We needed it to stay that way."

"Did my father just think you were agents?" I asked suddenly. Their relationship with my father and my mother was a burning question in the forefronts of my mind and I couldn't contain it any longer.

Saphirra shook her head. "I do not think he really ever understood how we got involved, but he never questioned our loyalty nor did he ask us why we were involved. Which of course, for those that knew Howard, know that he was a very curious fellow and he asked many other questions."

"We met Howard before Steve had undergone the experiment to see if the serum for the superhuman hero would work. He did not question who we were or why we were present at that time," Serafina commented in addition to her sister. "Actually we met because he randomly started talking to me about the contraption he had designed to hold Steven in place when the serum was distributed. I was in the room, did not notice he was even present, doing last minute touch ups I suppose, and that quick-fire snappy commentary began. The three of us became friends with him not too long after."

"I always thought you were going to end up a Stark, Sera," Steve said with a chuckle, "Especially with how friendly you were with Howard. But I guess nothing came of it?"

"No! I…" Serafina began to explain herself, but her younger sister cut her off.

"That wasn't how Howard flirted. He never once hit on Sera, or any of us for that matter. How long have you known his son? Tony flirts with people like his father flirted with people. Arrogantly, flashy, confidently… no, Howard treated us like little sisters. He was goofy, still with the flashy pizzazz, but I think that was just his personality. He was so outgoing and loud… It wasn't sexual at all." Ciarra imparted, staring at me for a moment.

I could feel my face was on fire at the comparison between my father and myself, which at the moment, matched Ciarra's older sister's cheeks. Sera's face was a flaming red hue.

Serafina shook her head vehemently, "How is it you are so shy one moment, Cia, and then you spew out something like this?"

"She always catches you off guard, every time." Saphirra laughed.

I could see a smile light up on Steve's face. So these girls were basically adopted sisters to both him and my father… interesting. It cleared up a lot.

Of course, that was just a portion.

Thor had seemingly been patient enough, awaiting their take on their stance as goddesses and he was done with their laughter and shenanigans.

"While this is all fine and well, Ladies of the Morrigan, I must inquire and judge for myself who you are," he stepped forward.

All three who had been laughing and jovial alongside Steve, were now silent and somber. Serafina was watching Thor carefully, listening to his thoughts probably to gauge his perception and ideal of them before talking. Or possibly to see how hostile he was going to be towards her family.

He took a hard look at the three of them and crossed his arms across his chest, matching her stance. She was now more alert.

"What is it you wish to judge?" She asked, regardless of knowing the answer already.

"Tony mentioned, when you explained to him whom you are, that you belong to Heimdall. However, Heimdall has never once mentioned having children, nor having daughters that were banished to Midgard, supposedly by my father. I would like an explanation by your impression so that I may seek answers of my own from Asgard."

Ciarra lurched forward, almost angrily, but Saphirra grabbed her arm to hold her back. "Let Serafina handle this." The youngest just nodded mutely and glared at the demi-god of Thunder.

Serafina lifted her eyes, full of annoyance, and held Thor's steady gaze. Her slender arms unfolded and moved from across her chest to her hips as she let out a deep breath, to keep calm at his allegations. The strong-willed confidence was back.

"Would you ask an orphan to justify their credibility to a parental unit if in fact they found out their lineage?"

Thor shrugged, "This is not any simple case of orphans, you were banished for a reason–"

"Your father feared our power and decided to let us rot or destroy a helpless world! So, forgive me if I do not favor the son of Odin." Sera spat the title in a detested manner causing a surprised look from the taller blonde god.

"I do not understand," Thor murmured, not satisfied.

"Your heart is not open to hear the truth; so why shall I waste my breath?"

"The rest of us want to hear your story," I piped in. Seeing how upset Thor was making Sera was making me angry at the demi-god, but I thought maybe if I help smooth over the conversation that it could help Thor understand the three girls without upsetting them so much. "You have told me some, elaborate. Point Break here has a thick skull. Sometimes you have to beat it into him before it starts to take…"

Everyone was looking at me. Thor was annoyed by my nickname for him, of course, but Serafina's exasperated expression towards Thor had temporarily dissolved into a semi-smile, which was one of my goals; she might just explain after all.

She took another deep breath and turned back towards Thor.

"All I mean to say is that even though Heimdall has not brought up a detail like having children, does not mean we are not his offspring. We were banished from Asgard when we were very young, and you would have been very young at the time as well. Clearly, you don't remember that decree," Serafina began, rubbing her temple. "Heimdall had been raising us alone, because our mother died giving birth to Ciarra. Or so we were told. Honestly, she may have been banished also, since she was not a being of known origin to the universe and your father already felt threatened by her presence. Either way, our mother is dead and our father was the one solely raising us. It did not take long for Odin to become uncomfortable with the three of us being housed on Asgard. Even though we are part Asgardian, we are also a part celestial being of unknown origin. If you have ever heard of the Giver of Life and Death, that was our mother. Whom was not a part of any of the realms of the universe, not from any that are explored and sanctified.

"With all of this information, and us growing up with powers and abilities in abundance, Odin became very wary of our existence. I do not recall what it was we did that tipped the scale, but not long after our mother's death, we were sent away from our father… lacking our memories and awoke on this planet. Apparently he had ordered a spell to be cast upon our minds to limit or disperse our memories of that time, but as the years went by that spell faded. Some memories are still foggy, but we remember most of our life from when we were young up until present. I am not asking for your judgment or your approval. I do not care if you believe me, or my sisters, nor do I give a damn if you give us the credibility we deserve. I am a Goddess of the Morrigan, as are my sisters, and there is nothing you can do to change that fact, Thor Odinson."

It was silent and tense for a long while. Thor was never calm when people spoke to him as Serafina did, but for once I believe he knew that he was either well matched by these girls or knew that they were stronger than him and obviously outnumbered him if he were to retaliate.

After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth to speak, "I do not remember you being on Asgard, so if it is as you say, that my father altered your memories… it may be possible that he did that for others. Like your father. I cannot imagine Heimdall hiding the fact that he has children from anyone. He is a proud and caring man, and his loyalty has always been one of his treasured characteristics. The stories we were told as children, were horror tales about the Morrigan; that they were evil and dangerous."

"Of course we are dangerous! All Asgardians are dangerous, that self-righteous prick of a King – ugh!" Ciarra spewed angrily.

"Do calm yourself, sister," Saphirra began, but the young one was already over the edge. Talking about their past must be painful. Especially with the accusations they were receiving, which were apparently common.

The room began to get an unnatural chill to it; the coolness pricking the skin on my nose.

"Uh, J… something wrong with the air conditioning?" I asked Jarvis, out loud.

" _Sorry, sir, it is not coming from the Tower's heating and cooling system. I am running diagnostics now_."

Serafina's voice rang in my ear and I glanced in her direction. She was closer to me than she had been the whole time, and once again I could feel the heat radiating from her and a visible cloud of steam coming off of her.

"It is not your air conditioning malfunctioning… the chill is coming from Ciarra. She controls water and ice, if you recall… when I talked to you before. She is the most unstable with her abilities out of the three of us. They can be triggered by our emotions, and our ability to control ourselves is imminent for keeping them in check." She replied, raising her hand toward her younger sister who suddenly began to glow a dull yellowish-orange.

"So she gets mad and sometimes causes… like a snow storm – even indoors?" I inquired, calmly. Even though it was hard for me to wrap my brain around the cockamamie idea that there is more than just scientific evidence for otherworldly beings and superpowers, there was no point in denying it when it was right in front of my eyes and I was witnessing first-hand what these girls were capable of.

Saphirra walked closer to the two of us as well; her hands were at the ready. I assume to protect the rest of us if their sister got too out of control.

"Not just a snow storm, her power is far greater than something so trivial. But yes, essentially, if she loses control of her emotions and her subconscious mind taps into her abilities, it could cause damage to your tower and the people here. But with Serafina and myself present, she will not able to harm any of you, or this place." She responded.

Serafina nodded, her eyes focused intensely on Ciarra. After a few minutes the room began to warm up again, and the youngest Morrigan sister sunk to the ground with an upset frown. The two elder sisters walked over to her and knelt.

I glanced at Thor who was holding Mjolnir. He looked unhappy at the almost "catastrophe".

"Were we in danger?"

"Not imminently," was all Serafina replied, hugging her baby sister.

"What does that mean?"

Ciarra gazed sadly up at Thor. "I'm sorry, I try not to get involved in things because I am still working to control myself and my abilities. Sera and Phirra have always been a little better at gaining control of themselves and their powers."

Steve walked over to them and knelt by Ciarra with a kind smile. "No wonder you used to be so quiet and keep to yourself. It's okay; no one was harmed. You won't build up your confidence if you keep forcing yourself into a recluse. Your sisters are here to help… and so am I."

I walked forward, without skipping a beat. This was why they were meant to be here.

"Me too. I may not know you three very well, but if my father trusted you, I have no qualms about letting you be part of our super-secret band of special hooligans. If Fury trusted you, as well, that's even more reason for us to trust you."

All three of the sisters were staring at me, as was everyone else, though the only one that didn't look very surprised was Serafina. Which just means she knows I trust them implicitly.

Ciarra was watching me, completely wide-eyed, but her worry-lines faded quickly and after allowing both Steve and her sisters to help her up, walked over to me and gave me a big hug. Ultimately that took me by surprise, but it was cool… literally. She was still pretty chilly. And definitely like a little kid, but I know the charm of these women.

Bruce spoke up next, "I can help with relaxation therapy and calming techniques. One might even say I specialize in them."

Ciarra stared his way for a moment and then a smile broke out on her face, "I will keep that in mine, Dr. Banner."

He had a slight blush on his face as she responded to him. I couldn't help but chuckle.

With that, whether Thor believed them or not, there were several of us here that believed them and I think that mattered more to the Morrigan anyway.

"Thank you, Tony and Dr. Banner." Ciarra mumbled realizing the spotlight had once again been on her, and then hurried back to her siblings shyly.

Serafina turned once more to the big brute that is Thor with a firm look on her face, but he spoke first. His hand extended towards her with Mjolnir's handle facing her.

"Let's see if you are worthy."

It took me a minute, but I glanced from Serafina to Thor seeing what was up his sleeve. Serafina gave him a pointed expression before touching the handle.

"If I am worthy of the hammer, you will cease your judgements and offer us the credibility we deserve, no matter what. Do we have an accord?"

Thor nodded, ready to let go and leave things in the hands of fate.

"Aye, we have an accord, Serafina." With that his grip left the hammer and in an instant it was Serafina who was the brief wielder of the legendary weapon.

She smiled triumphantly as she held it in her pale hand, lifting it above her head for dramatics. Saphirra walked over and gently took it from her before tossing Mjolnir to Ciarra who caught it with her big doe eyes.

I know I was slack-jawed and Thor's expression was priceless. The audible gasp throughout the room was indicative that basically no one believed that anyone but Thor was worthy of wielding Mjolnir, but we have been wrong about a lot of stuff in the past. The list just keeps getting longer.

"A promise is a promise, Odinson," Serafina walked back to him after collecting the hammer from her sister and placed it back in his possession. "We are the Morrigan. Even Mjolnir respects that. Thank you for your time."

A satisfied expression glossed across her features.

Maria walked over to the three girls, changing the atmosphere. "Sorry to break up the interaction with your fellow Asgardian, but I just have to know… were you girls there for the Battle of Manhattan?"

Her question rung loudly in all our ears. My heart began to race. I still hate talking about this fight… I hate the memory. I hate the nightmares… what if they come back? I mean, I doubt meeting Serafina for one day would be the saving grace and cure for my bad dreams… but talking about it always triggers something.

I glanced towards the girls, with Maria's expecting look.

"Yes we were present, but Fury had a special request for us so we weren't on the frontlines like the Avengers were," Serafina looked up at Maria, tilting her head slightly at the inquiry. "Why? You were there with him when he called for us… Oh, are you asking about… you are. They do not know, leave it be. This is not the time to bring that up."

Saphirra glanced between Maria and Serafina. "When you answer people's thoughts out loud it is very confusing, Sera. Who are you talking about?"

She blinked, and I can only assume she does this subconsciously judging from her sheepish smile and pink cheeks.

Maria gave a knowing smile, "While it can be off-putting, it is helpful, at times… But like Serafina said, don't worry about who I am asking about. I will find out later. I always do."

"It can be off-putting, for sure," I mustered, stuffing my hands in my pockets as I walked over to the girls. Deciding to let the subject stay away from their elusive person.

Steve crossed his arms, thoughtfully.

"I just thought she was really intuitive. It never occurred to me that you were a mind-reader. I bet anything Howard thought the same way."

Serafina just smiled at the both of us, "Guilty of all charges, gentlemen."

The next thing that caught everyone's attention was the deliberate clicks of high heels heading towards the garage—towards my cars, and a slam of the door. I knew immediately that it was Pepper finally losing her temper. She was already fed up. I was fed up.

It's not that I didn't care. I could have gone after her, but right now, that was the last thing on my mind. Pepper and I had been unhappy together for long enough and this was just the tipping point.

At least it wasn't a screaming match. No, it was much subtler than that.

My phone buzzed in my pocket letting me know that I had a notification. I pulled it out to check and sure enough, it was from Pep.

It was just a text message:

"Consider us over, Tony. I am going back to my own place. If you could ship me my things that would be appreciated. And we will go back to our working relationship, as the CEO of Stark Industries, effective immediately. Forget the date. We're beyond repair. Good day to you, Mr. Stark."

I gazed at it for a moment, waiting to feel hurt by her words, but honestly I just felt relieved.

I typed a quick response to clarify that I received her message loud and clear.

"Stuff will be in the mail ASAP, Ms. Potts. Our working relationship is back in full swing. Consider the date permanently cancelled. Stark, out."

I smirked sliding my phone back into my pocket.

"Well, who's hungry? I think we should celebrate tonight. To new friends," I smiled this time sincerely at the Goddesses of the Morrigan.

Steve nodded, "After all this time, I think a party is appropriate."

Serafina was studying me for a moment, I am sure checking my thoughts, and seeing how honest my reaction was, but after a few a smile spread to her face and she agreed, her sisters looking happy about the proposal as well.

"We're in."

* * *

 ****A/N: Well, after a slight hiatus, here is chapter 4! Finally! Sorry for the delay, but the Goddesses of the Morrigan have officially been introduced to the Avengers! Serafina and her sisters will continue to give some background and story in addition to Steve Rogers and Howard Stark.**

 **A little tension, drama, and celebration! Their tale will continue in the next chapter intertwining with Thor and Asgard, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D!**

 **Oh, and of course, Pepper and Tony are no longer and item! Sorry Pepperony fans… while I have to say, I used to be one myself, I am no longer. Yes, while the idea for this story is for there to be a love interest between Serafina and Tony I do not plan on delving into that until much later.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this segment! Much more to come!**

 **Until next chapter,**

 **Love~**

 **Ebony**


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